#context for this: he didn't actually walk away #he broke his leg in four places and got knocked out #but his first question when he woke up was "is my grandson okay?" #because before the bison charged (some teenagers had been provoking it earlier) #he and his grandson were taking videos and photos of it from a fair distance #they did not engage with the bison inappropriately #< prev tags are important!! #also saw someone else's reblof mention that he did get the bisons attention as it was charging at them so it wouldn't go for his grandson #mans actually a hero for that I'm glad he survived with minimal harm for the hit he took #also they were hundreds of feet away taking pictures so they were being respectful of the animals #fuck the people who antagonized it and put him and his grandkid in danger like that #yellowstone #bison
As a correction I will add: they were definitely NOT a safe distance away.
Yellowstone's MINIMUM recommended safe distance away from bison is 75 feet for this exact reason, because they can close smaller distances very quickly. Still a genuine case of "wrong place, wrong time," because outside of rutting season (which for bison is summer, which is peak Yellowstone tourist season; for deer, rut is autumn, so if you hunt/live in deer country, don't let that catch you slipping), you would not expect them to be super close to areas like the dining tables the way this bison was. So by the time this family saw this bull, they were already too close (ballpark, probably 75-100 feet away, is my guess), and it was already too late for them to do anything about it. It's a wild animal. It happens.
Secondly, there is no evidence that this bison had been agitated or provoked by teens. It did CHASE some teenagers earlier that day, because rutting season makes bison aggressive and territorial. We know that's the case because if they had been close enough to provoke this bull, he'd have gored them before ever crossing paths with this 65 year old man, because bison are fast when they're pissed off, and all the teenagers got away safely. Just like this man, it was "wrong place, wrong time."
Thirdly, Carl Isom-McDaniel's broken leg was his femur in four places at the hip and femur head. That's a severe injury that required surgical repair. He's up, walking around, and no TBI, wasn't trampled, so still way better than it could have gone, but the photographer who filmed this encounter and other park attendees nearby had to scream and run at the bison to chase it away from killing this man. So, it's not minimal harm, this is a life-changing injury, especially for an older patient, but everyone is very aware that if you're going to be charged by a bison, this is pretty close to a best case scenario for the outcome.
Lastly: the bison is not going to be euthanized! Park attendees did nothing wrong, and neither did the bull. And no one died. Which is a win when it comes to wildlife. :)
